Window casing construction



Jan 6, 1959 v. P. FREDRICKSEN 2,867,014

WINDOW CASINGCONSTRUCTION Filed July 30, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 6,1959 v. P. FREDRICKSEN wINDow cAsING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJuly 30, 195'? n? Je MQ@ m .5 M Jp 7 /S .w l /L 2 United States Patent'C 2,867,014 WINDOW CASING CONSTRUCTION Vern P. Fredricksen, Bayport,

sen Corporation, nesota Minn., assignor to Ander- Bayport, Minn., acorporation of Min- This invention relates to casing construction forwindow and door units and particularly to improved window units havinginterior trim strips which are adapted for use with walls varyingsubstantially in thickness in relation to the depth of the jamb membersof the window frames.

In the manufacture of window and door units economies in the cost of thefinished buildings are effected by performing a maximum number ofcutting and assembling -operations at the mill. However, under presentmethods of standardization the exact thickness of the wall where aparticular unit is to be installed is often unknown by the manufacturer,or changes in the wall construction may be made after the millwork hasbeen completed. An important factor is the type of interior wallconstruction. The most common variables result from the choice of threewall types of different thickness. For example if lath and plaster isprovided it will be approximately threequarter inch thick, whereas thechoice may be sheet rock or other wallboard of one-half inch thickness,or other thinner wall boards of nominal three-eighths inch thickness. Iflath and plaster walls are used the interior wall surfaces may be eitherush with the inner edges of the window jamb and head members or in otherinstallations may cause the wall surface to project inwardly fromrelatively shallow window frame members. Otherwise, when the thinnerinterior wall sheathingis used the window side and head jamb membersusually project inward from the adjoining wall surfaces. Since theinterior casing members must cover the joints between the window framesand adjacent wall surfaces it has been common practice to leave thecutting and fitting of these interior trim members to time consumingfitting by skilled Workmen during the building construction. Thisexpensive fitting is substantially eliminated by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to make it feasible toprecut and lit at the mill or factory substantially all of the membersof window and door units including interior casing members which areadapted to compensate for the common variations in thickness of interiorwall sheathing.

A particular object is to provide interior casing members which areadapted to be precut to t a particular window unit and to be adjusted tot walls of varying thickness as a result of a novel formation of theindividual casing members which permit them to be not only reversed endto end and side margin for side margin, but also placed with either oftheir longitudinal sides in contact with the wall, depending upon therelative location of the wall surfaces and inner edges of `the windowjamb members in each installation.

A further object is to provide casing members each having oppositelongitudinal sides which are so molded as to impart simil-ar orcompatible appearances irrespective of which side is exposed to view andhaving relatively thick and relatively thin longitudinal edge portionsand parallel, relatively narrow marginal surfaces extending at bothsides of the edge portions for contact with the wall and jamb and headframe members.

The invention also includes certain other novel features of constructionwhich will be more fully pointed out in the following specification andclaim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way ofexample and not for the purpose of limitation, a preferred form of myimproved window casing construction:

Figure 1 is an inside elevationalview showing a window unit of thedouble hung sliding sash type, with my improved interior casing membersin place thereon;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l,showing one of the side casing members and adjacent frame and wallmembers;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l,showing the top and bottom casing and frame members;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View similar to Fig. 2 but showing theinvention as applied to a wall having interior wall board and whereinthe jamb members project inward from the plane of the adjacent wallsurfaces, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View similar to Fig. 3 showing one of myimproved trim strips in engagement with a head frame member whichprojects inward from the adjacent wall surface.

My improved interior casing members comprise a pair of normally verticaltrim strips indicated generally by the numeral 6 and a normallyhorizontal trim strip 7 of similar cross sectional shape adapted toextend across the head jamb member of the window frame. Each of themembers 6 and 7 has a relatively thick longitudinally extending edgeportion 8 and a relatively thin edge portion 9 extending along theopposite edge. Edge surfaces of the portions 8 and 9 are preferablyparallel one to the other and substantially at right angles to adjoiningnar-y row, flat marginal surfaces indicated respectively by the numerals10, 11, 12 and 13. The marginal surfaces 10 and 11 at one side of eachstrip 6 and 7 are disposed substantially in a common plane and arelatively wide in tei-mediate curved portion 14 merges gradually intothe marginal surfaces 10 and. 11 and is generally concave in shape. Atthe opposite side of the trim strip the marginal surfaces 12 and 13 areoffset laterally one from the other approximately three-eighths of aninch and are connected by a relatively wide intermediate curved surface15. A portion of the surface 15 adjoining the surface 12 is convex and aportion adjoining the surface 13 is concave.

My improved interior casing members are adapted for use with windowunits of many vdifferent types and having frames of various depths fromfront to back in relation to the thicknesses of the walls in which theWindow frames are used. As shown, the window frame has a pair of sidejamb members 16, one at each side of the window opening, a head jambmember 17 extending across the top of the frame and a sill 1S of commonor suitable construction extending across the lower side of the windowopening. Also shown is a stool member 19 of common type extending abovean apron 20 of the i11- terior casing. The inner face of this apron isdefined by a curved surface which matches or is compatible with thecurved surfaces formed on the inner and outer sides of the trim strips 6and 7. Upper and lower sashes are indicated generally by the numerals 21and 22 respectively.

At the mill or factory the ends of the trim strips 6 and 7 may bemitered, as indicated at 30 in Fig. l, or cut with square ends to fitthe several window units. This casing construction is adapted for usewith conventional or suitable lbuilding structures which may includewalls having studding members 23, outer sheathing 24, outer casingmembers 25 and other suitable rough framing members such as thoseindicated at r`26 and 27 in Fig. 5.

At the inner side of the wall the sheathing or covering members maycomprise vmembers of various thicknesses. For example, as shownfinFigs.'Zand 3, the-interior wall includes lath and plaster, usuallyapproximately threequarter inch thick, which may have `its inner surfaceeither approximately ilush with the inner edge surfaces of the side jambmembers-16 and head jamb members 17, or in a ,plane which is offsetoutward or inward from the Window frame. When the wall surface is iiushwith the frame members the 'trim strips 6 and`7 are placed with theirsurfaces and 11 toward the wall and in cont-act respectively with theinner surface of the plaster -wall 28 and the inner edge surfaces of the.jamb members 16 and 17. By reason ofthe curvature of lthe surfaces 'A14and and their. gradual lmerger into the narrow marginal surfaces 10, 11,12 and 13, the trim strips may be rocked relative to the wall and .jambsurfaces to compensate for the smaller misalignments or variations inthe relative positions of the inner wall surface and jamb members.

Forother situations, such as that indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, the trimstrips may be adjusted to close the joint between the window framemembers and interior wall members 29 having their inner surfaces offsetoutward as much as one-half inch from the inner surfaces of the jambmembers 16 and 17. For this condition the trim strips 6 and 7 are merelyplaced with their surfaces 12 and 13 in contact with the edges of thejamb members and wall surface adjoining the jamb members, as indicated-in Figs. 4 and 5. This adjustment may require the turning of the toptrim strip 7 end for end land inside out and the shifting of the sidetrim strips 6 from one side of the window to the other and inside out.

In still other situations, the inner surfaces of the jamb members may beoffset outward from the adjoining wall surfaces. To meet this condition,the trim strips maybe inverted by merely turning them end for endrelative to the positions indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Thus the offsetsurfaces 12 of the strips 6 and 7 may be placed in contact with theinner edge surfaces of the window jamb members where Ithe latter areoffset outward one-half inch, more or less, from the inner surface ofthe wall.

Many window units are provided with j'amb extension members or blindstops extending along the inner edges of the main jamb members toincrease the depth of the frame. These extension members and stops areso located that they constitute the jamb members to which the casingmembers are secured. Thus my improved trim strips may be secured inoverlapping relation to such jamb extension members or stops as Well asto the main jamb members directly as shown in the drawing.

It will thus be evident that the cutting and tting of the several innercasing members including the strips 6 and 7 and other members of thewindow units may be performed at the mill so that these casing memberswill fit together accurately notwithstanding variationsn in thethicknesses of the walls in relation to the depth or thickness of thewindow frames. This adaptability to more complete factory cutting andfitting effects important savings in the cost ofthe buildingconstruction as compared with the conventional practice of tting allcasing members at the site of the building under construction.

l claim:

A trim strip adapted to cover the joint between a window frame member orthe like and an adjoining wall surface regardless of whether said wallsurface is flush with said frame member oroffset inwardly or outwardlytherefrom, said trim strip having opposite longitudinal sides either ofwhich is adapted to be exposed to view or se` lectively applied towardsaid frame member and wall surface, and having one longitudinal edgeportion which is relatively thicker than the other longitudinal edgeportion, narrow substantially parallel marginal surfaces extending alongeach of said edge portions, the marginal surfaces at one side of saidstrip being in a common plane and the marginal surfaces at the otherside being offset laterally one from the other, and relatively wideinterme diate curved surfaces extending between the marginal surfaces ateach side and merging therewith gradually, the portions of said curvedsurfaces adjoining said marginal surfaces being adapted to contact theunderlying Wall surface and frame surface with said marginal surfacesdisposed at various angles to compensate for minor variations in theVrelative positions of the wall surface and frame.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.24,285 Jackson Mar. 12, 1957 2,489,477 Brecher Nov. 29, 1949 2,724,153Dempsey Nov. 22, 1955

